Deuteronomy 22:29

29 then the man who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, ^[a] and she must become his wife because he has violated her. He must not divorce her as long as he lives.

Deuteronomy 22:29 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 22:29

Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's
father fifty shekels of silver,
&.] For the abuse of his daughter; and besides this was obliged to give her her dowry also, as Philo ^F4 says, which is commonly said to be fifty more:

and she shall be his wife;
if her father and she agreed to it; and in such a case the man was not at his liberty to refuse, be she what she would, agreeable or not, handsome or ugly; he must, as the Jews express it, drink out of his pot, or marry her, if she is lame, or blind, or full of ulcers ^F5:

because he hath humbled her he may not put her away all his days:
to all the other parts of his punishment, paying a fine of fifty shekels to the damsel's father, a dowry of the same sum to her, obligation to marry her whether he likes her or not, this is added, that he is not allowed to divorce her as long as he lives; which was permitted to other men, and this was wisely ordered to preserve chastity.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 De Special. Leg. p. 787.
F5 Misn. Cetubot, c. 3. sect. 5.

Deuteronomy 22:29 In-Context

27 When he found her in the field, the betrothed woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.

28 If a man encounters a virgin who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered,

29 then the man who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she must become his wife because he has violated her. He must not divorce her as long as he lives.

30 A man is not to marry his father’s wife, so that he will not dishonor his father’s marriage bed.

Footnotes

• [a]. 50 shekels is approximately 1.26 pounds or 569.8 grams of silver.